Spring 2007 1 Andrew Bird - Imitosis  Chicagoan Andrew Bird has drawn inspiration from early 20th century jazz and folk, gypsy balladry, rock, and soul, and throughout all of his cross-genre experimentation he has maintained an elegance and grandeur. His violin playing has something to do with this, but perhaps more importantly, Bird never lets his scholarliness overtake his soulfulness.
artist link 2 Laura Veirs - Don't Lose Yourself On her third Nonesuch release, Saltbreakers, singer-songwriter Laura Veirs devotes an album’s worth of metaphor to the ocean and the stars. It’s all personal, of course, but Veirs’ deft and inventive lyrics coolly maintain the theme as a subtle backdrop.
artist link 3 Pacha Massive - Don't Let Go Pacha Massive (from ‘Pachamama’ meaning “Mother Earth”) is the collaboration between Dominican-born Nova (keys / guitar / producer) and Colombian-born Maya (bass). The Bronx-based duo’s debut - also the first U.S. based signing for the pan-Latin Nacional Records - is a funky blend of traditional Latin rhythms, dub and electronica.
artist link 4 Apostle Of Hustle - My Sword Hand's Anger During a two-month trip to Cuba in 2001, Broken Social Scene's Andrew Whiteman decided to explore the possibilities of fusing his own indie-rock sound with Cuban music. The Canadian formed Apostle of Hustle upon his return, and National Anthem of Nowhere is his second album.
artist link 5 CocoRosie - Japan The project of the Casady sisters, Bianca and Sierra, CocoRosie is about to release its third album, Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn. Although they are often considered an indie-rock band, they draw influence from hip-hop, opera, and other disparate styles.
artist link 6 Field Music - A House Is Not A Home Songwriting brothers Peter and David Brewis and keyboard manipulator Andrew Moore make up the Sunderland, England band Field Music. Their second album, Tones of Town – also the second they’ve self-produced – finds the band moving in several directions at once.
artist link 7 Deerhoof - Believe E.S.P Although it began in the mid-90’s, Deerhoof has recently been gaining much more attention, opening shows for Radiohead, Wilco, and the Roots. Greg Saunier and his wife Satomi Matsuzaki, based in San Francisco, continue to lead the experimental band.
artist link 8 Tom Brosseau - Plaid Lined Jacket Tom Brosseau’s unique, androgynous voice adds to the mystery of his music. Blending a century’s worth of folk traditions, Brosseau manages to submerge both the “singer” and “songwriter” beneath songs that sound like recently discovered relics. He performs regularly at the revered Los Angeles club Largo.
artist link 9 Willy Mason - Save Myself Hailing from Martha’s Vineyard, Mason recorded his first album in 2004 at age 19. Three years later, with the release of his follow-up, If The Ocean Gets Rough, he is already a seasoned veteran. This is his first album for Astralwerks.
artist link 10 Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One The all female trio Au Revoir Simone projects a perfect blend of old and new, analog and digital. Their music, made mostly on vintage keyboards and drum machines, is at once nostalgic and forward thinking.
artist link 11 Beirut - Carousels Zach Condon seems an unlikely creator of the gypsy-fueled band Beirut, his being both young (he was 20 when he released his first album last year) and from New Mexico. The multi-instrumentalist gained critical acclaim last year with the help of Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeremy Barnes, and his Lon Gisland EP takes a step toward refining the grand and chaotic carnival sound of his debut.
artist link 12 Maria Taylor - Smile And Wave One half of the duo Azure Ray, Maria Taylor has just released her second solo album. Her new album is more organic than her debut, which she attributes to the many shows she played touring for the first album.
artist link 13 Chris Garneau - Castle-Time This Brooklynite makes some (heavy) rainy day music. Accompanied almost exclusively by piano and strings, Garneau isn't afraid to use his voice in unusual ways to broaden his music’s textures and emotions. Music for Tourists is his debut full-length album.
artist link 14 Of Montreal - Sink The Seine Of Montreal IS Mr. Kevin Barnes, and he’s been making music under the moniker since the mid 90’s. The one-man-band has loose ties to the Athens, Georgia Elephant Six collective of 60’s-influenced bands, though Barnes has certainly branched out with his use of synthesizers and other electronics.
artist link 15 Tiny Masters Of Today - Cellphone Brooklyn’s Tiny Masters of Today write high-energy songs about authority, politics, school – all classic themes of youth – only in their case that youth means 10 and 12 years old for the founding brother-sister duo Ivan and Ada, respectively. While wearing their Ramones and Stooges influence on their sleeve, they manage to summon enough eclecticism to deliver some fun surprises.
artist link 16 The Postmarks - Looks Like Rain The Postmarks' approach focuses on classic songwriting and features the (female) vocals of Tim Yehezkely. The band describes the environment where their songs and recordings have been carefully crafted as “a heartbreak factory."
artist link 17 The Berg Sans Nipple - Along The Quai TBSN consists of Lori Sean Berg and Shane Aspegren, of Paris and Nebraska, respectively. Initially coming together to create a soundtrack for a short film, Marie-Madeleine, TBSN began by exploring a "landscape-filled direction," creating collages of Afrobeat, dub, and dreamy electronica.
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